Upside Down
by x-Whizzified-Magic-x
Summary: AU. After a horrific accident, Tyler Gage is left to care for his sister who's in critical condition. Suddenly, he finds himself on the edge of insanity. Will Tyler lose control? Or will his friends help him along the way? R
1. Goodbye

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from this movie. I only own the plot and characters you don't recognize.

* * *

It was ten o'clock in the morning, but the muggy heat of a down south, summer day was building fast. The sky was heavy and leaded. Wind stirred the old oaks that stood sentinel in the cemetery. He could hear thunder in the distance. He kept apart from the crowd of mourners, occupying his own private space. He needed to be alone, away from the rest of his family. Mac felt like a vulture standing at Skinny's graveside. It should have been him. Everyday he would blame himself for his little brother's death. Today was the one-year anniversary celebrating that very event that took his brother's life.

"Yo, sorry I'm late."

The voice came from behind and a few yards off. Mac looked back over his shoulder. He wanted to leave this place; there was nothing more he could do here. A young man who appeared to be in his mid-teens was approaching swiftly across the wet grass.

"When are you ever early, Ty?" He asked, despite his situation, he gave his friend a half smile.

"Funny. I had to take care of things." Tyler Gage halted in front of him, bitter disappointment tightening his face and narrowing his eyes.

"In other words, you were with Nora," Mac's mouth twisted with frustration, "You act like I don't know you by now."

Tyler shrugged. Out of habit, he rubbed the back of his shaven head. His brown eyes riveted on Skinny's gravestone. Familiar emotions churned around uncomfortably in his stomach. "Hard to believe it's been a year," He said, realizing how blunt that sounded and searched for something that might sound appropriate and came up empty, "I'm…sorry."

Mac glanced briefly over his shoulder at the small group of people walking slowly away from the grave, "It's alright, man. I agree with you." He admitted his face stony.

Tyler nodded, saying nothing. He fixed his gaze on the wispy dark clouds overhead. Two weeks after the incident, the police arrested P.J and was sentence up to seven years in prison for second-degree murder. Even though Skinny's killer had been captured, the wounds on the Carter family's hearts could not be healed. Everyone was and still is, going through a difficult time, even him.

"Yo, wanna get something to eat?" Mac asked, keeping his voice neutral as possible because at that moment he was ready to break down.

"Yeah, sure, " Tyler said mildly. "Would you be up for a game of ball after?"

"You know it…"

They stood for a long time, watching the last of the mourners disperse. Tyler took one last look at Skinny's grave, silently saying a prayer for Skinny, his family and himself. He exhaled slowly and crossed the grass, leaving through the entrance of the cemetery and back into the real world.

* * *

The storm struck twenty minutes later. The torrential rain cut visibility down to a bare minimum. Lena Freeman was relieved to see that most traffic was moving slower that its usual seventy-plus miles per hour. Even so, she kept to the right-hand lane because of her windshield wipers.

"The rain is coming down…" She said softly.

The man in the passenger seat grunted in response. His arms were folded across his chest and his head was turned away. "I just want to get home before the game is done."

Lena said nothing, for Bill's sake at least. She remained silent, hanging tight to her temper. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she met her adoptive daughter's green eyes. For a moment, it was as if time had been suspended. Alternatively, flashed back three years. She remembered her as the quiet nine-year-old left alone, by a father whose in jail and a mother who took off. She was a child of no words. So solemn that her rare, dazzling smile astounded you. She smiled at her and raised a trembling hand to brush a loose blonde lock from her face. Her youngest adoptive son had dozed off, despite the roughness of the ride, and occasionally she would glance in the mirror to check on the sleeping child. His mother, a sixteen-year-old girl who couldn't handle the responsibilities that came with parenthood, had left him on their doorstep. She was happy because, she was not able to have children and taking care of baby Malcolm gave her a chance to know what it felt like to be a mother.

_No regrets. _ She thought, enjoying the sight of the dark head nodding slightly with the motion of the car.

As Lena came around the curve near the racetrack, she saw blinking red lights immediately ahead in her lane. She made a quick veer to the left. At almost the same instant, an eighteen-wheeler bearing down on a slower truck in the far left lane swerved to the right. It all happened so fast, Lena and her family had no warning. Their Jeep was slammed sideways, hitting the stalled car to the right of her in a horrendous screeching of metal and exploding gas.

"Lena!" Camille screamed clutching her brother against her as the child began screaming, tears rolling down his cheeks.

The last thing Lena was conscious of was the excruciating pain in her legs and chest. "Ca-mille…"

After that, there was only blackness.

* * *

Tyler crossed the driveway, and then hurried up back-porch steps. Hesitating at the door, he fumbled with his key. This back door lock had a personality all its own, and he long ago learned to jiggle the key and pull back before turning it. The lock turned, the hinges creaked and the door swung open. Tyler tiptoed in. Even though he'd been treated like part of the family for most of his life, stepping into the eerie, empty silence today made him feel like an intruder. He remembered Lena telling him that her and Bill were going grocery shopping and on their way back they would be picking up Camille and Malcolm from school.

He crossed the tiled floor and went through the archway to the kitchen. The call came three-thirty in the afternoon. He was getting a cold can of Pepsi out of refrigerator, popping the lid, and taking a long swallowing when the phone rang. He ignored it, flipping off his shoes in the corner. A few moments later, the intercom buzzed. Sighing, Tyler put down the can and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

_"Tyler Gage?"_

"Yeah, this is Tyler…"

_"I'm sorry to be calling with bad news, but your family has been involved in a traffic accident…"_

Fear shot through Tyler and his heart began to beat alarmingly fast, "Are…they okay?" He was barely able to get the words out. His throat was swelling closed and he had to force each syllable and sound out.

The person on the other end didn't answer for a moment. When they did, their voice was even graver than before _"Mr. and Mrs. Freeman and the little boy did not make it. We tried to save them but…it was too late…"_

Tyler's knees buckled then, his head was spinning. It felt like his life had just been slammed against a wall of sudden and shocking brutality. His knees finally gave out and he collapsed on the floor with a loud thud echoing throughout the dead, empty house. This wasn't happened he said to himself, repeating the phrase over and over again in his head. He swallowed hard, fiercely blinking back the hot surge of tears "Wh-what about Camille?" It amazed him that he could speak coherently; such was the enormity of his fear.

_"The young girl is still alive. She's in our trauma unit. But I won't even lie to you. It's very bad. You'd better come."_

Tyler's hand trembled as he hung up the receiver. The breath seemed to leave his body. His heart seemed to stop beating. He didn't make a sound, just sat there, staring at nothing. His face deathly white, brown eyes wide, dark, and fixed, like the eyes of a china doll, not the eyes of a living boy. They're dead. They're dead. They are dead, the words crashed and beat inside of him, but he didn't believe them, he couldn't bear to believe them. Camille was probably hanging on by a thread. She was the only family he had left. It's just him and Camille from now on. No more horsing around and getting into mischief with Malcolm. No more lectures on how irresponsible he was at times from Lena. No more getting into petty arguments with Bill.

It was over. He prayed every night for something like this not happen to his family. But sickly he came to one bitter conclusion. The rules he lived by all his life, even before he knew that family could run deeper than blood. But today, today he was turning his back on _him_. The one person he thought he could talk to, the one person he grew up to trust. After today, he didn't exist; he never did, not to him at least. He wasn't there to save them; he wasn't there to protect them. For the second time in his life, he felt surer than anything did.

Today, yes, today…there was no God…

* * *

Well I hope you enjoyed this first chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please be kind and review, folks.


	2. Heartbeat

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from this movie. I only own the plot and characters you don't recognize.

* * *

Balancing the bag of Chinese food, she fished her key from the pocket of her jeans and entered the third-floor apartment at the west end of Baltimore. A decision she made quite some time ago when she and her mother had gotten into an argument about the simplest thing.

Her life.

Sometimes her mother was so kind and gentle. She loved her when she was like that. It was harder to love her when she was strict and cross. She wondered why her mother couldn't be nice all the time. She was stepping through the doorway when she felt a chill. All the fine hairs at the nape of her neck lifted, tingling as if electrified. Her heart was pounding abruptly against the wall of her chest, and she felt the sudden terrifying certainty that's she was being watched. In the manner like a predator watched its prey.

Moving as quietly as she could, she made her way into the kitchen, settling the bags on the island. The window that led to the fire escape was open. She walked across the floor, her sock-covered feet making no sound on the tiles. She hadn't recalled leaving the window open when she left the apartment. She puzzled over that for several minutes, and then shrugged. Glancing out the window, she noted nothing eerie or out of place. From what she could see, everything seemed normal. Well, her definition of normal that is. Nora Clark finally decided a quick shower would do her some good.

"Tonight's too quiet…" She bounded out of the kitchen, peeling her polo shirt over her head as she did so.

Nora had a weird feeling at the pit of her stomach.

She closed her eyes and bowed her heard. Water beat upon her shoulders and neck. To her consternation, she found herself imaging Tyler standing under the spray, the water coursing down his shoulder and arms, his broad chest, his stomach, his-

With a gasp, she jerked her thoughts away, horrified at the path her mind was wondering. She hadn't thought of a man that way. Of course she had been attracted to Brett, but sadly she realized he was not truly a man that could satisfy her. Not in sex of course, that subject hadn't come up throughout their relationship. However, with Tyler, the topic involving sex had come up on several different occasions. But she never had the courage to say _'Tyler, let's have sex.'_

She shook her head under the stream of water and turned to press her hands against the slick tile wall. The awful smell from work had rinsed away and now the apple-cinnamon body scrub filled her senses. To stand her all night would be the ultimate luxury. To not think about a thing. To not worry or have to communicate with the world. Nora flicked off the water and grabbed a towel off the metal rack, marveling at its softness as she used it to dry off and then wrapped it around herself. The steel curtain rings zinged across the shower bar as the shower curtain slid open. She sputtered, clutching her towel tighter to her breast. Steam fogged the small white bathroom, but the large dark image was unmistakable.

Tyler…? She hadn't heard the bathroom door open or even known his presence was in the apartment.

His appearance consisted of baggy jeans and a black hoodie, the hood covering his head and shading his features. "Tyler," She said playfully, "Get out." She lifted her leg to kick him but lost her balance on the slick porcelain surface.

He caught her wrist, stopping her from a graceless fall against the shower tiles. Tyler drew her in his arms, lifting her over the side of the tub and setting her on the ground in front of him. "Your still wet," Tyler said softly, his mouth lowering to kiss the smoothness of her shoulder. Heat flooded her cheeks. Nora would realize he'd merely noted a fact, not apologized.

"I just gotten out of the shower," Her eyes fluttered shut when he lightly traced patterns up and down her arms with his fingertips. She mentally shook herself from her trance, "Wh-what are you doing here anyways?"

"I wanted to see you," Tyler murmured against her ear, "I needed to be with you." A chill shuddered through her entire body, and the baby fine hair at the nape of her neck stood up, quivering on end. He stared down at her, his hooded gaze narrowing with desire and something else, something she simply couldn't define, an emotion that eluded her.

"I-" Before she could so much as finish protesting, he cupped her shoulders, dragged her against his body, and slanted his mouth over hers. Inside, her mouth was warm and wet as outside. Slicking his tongue across her teeth, he nipped the plump lower lip. One of them moaned. It was Nora. A deep rumble in her throat that wasn't admonishing or angry, only wanting. He controlled her with a few directing fingers along her spine, pressing the curves of her groin against his hips.

"Tyler…" She said between his feverish kisses. He felt the palm of her hands against his chest, feeling her hands tremble when she pushed him away with the tiniest effort. "Are you okay?" Her hand reached out to remove his hood but he moved out of her reach. Her hand went back to clutching her towel, "I'm sorry, Tyler," Nora hesitated when he didn't answer, then she spoke again, "I just imagined-"

"Fuck, Nora!" His outburst caught her off guard and came with no warning. It was so quick and unplanned that she stumbled backwards. She stared up at him, her eyes wide, and her lips slightly parted. He shook his head, and when he did so, his features were even more lost in the darkness of the hood. Tyler suddenly grabbed both of her upper arms and shoved her against the porcelain sink. "I need you!"

She didn't say anything, only continued to stare at him dumbfounded, "Tell me what's wrong!" Nora retorted, then leaned forward to press a hand to his cheek, "Please…"

Tyler leaned into her touch, "I want to forget…"

She frowned, not understanding what he had said and getting irked that he wasn't answering her question. "You're not making sense."

Tyler threw his hands to his head and wrenched the hood down. His eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept in days or was…crying. His face was pale, rugged and weary. What had set him off like this?

"Is this what you wanted to see?" Rage was swift, volcanic. He hissed the question at her. When she didn't answer, he cupped her face firmly and her gasp was audible. "Malcolm, Bill, Lena. They're all dead!" Nora's eyes widened at the words spewing from his mouth, "And Camille? She's in the hospital possibly dying!" She saw the tears glistening in his eyes and went completely still. "I need you to help me forget this is happening!" He released her face and turned his back on her.

"God, Tyler. I'm so…sorry." She pressed a hand to her mouth, her gut churning with the sudden emotions that had hit her. A cruel faith such as that, should not have happen to such innocent people who barely began to live their lives. Even little Malcolm hadn't been granted the chance to experience new things or even had the chance to explore the ways of the world. She looked towards Tyler, his body was trembling, and sadly she realized he was crying. "Please, Tyler. Come here…"

With an animalistic growl, he spun around and threw his fist forward. She winced as the fluid motion of his punch brushed against her cheek and shattered the mirror behind her. "Tyler, no!" In a sudden panic, her arms came around his larger frame as the crimson liquid seeped out from the open wound of his knuckles. Tiny shards of broken glass scattered around them, some falling into the sink and some glistening in his torn flesh. His rage had melted away when Nora drew him closer to her, whispering promises in his ear.

Tyler clung to her "They're gone and they're not coming back." The sound hit her first. Soft. Muted. Tyler, her Tyler had lost control and was weeping. His body tightened then trembled within her arms. The sound of it tore out her heart.

She drew a deep breath of air into her lungs, held it, and then let it out slowly. His crying was almost more than she could bear. "I love you." Her voice cracked and she couldn't help the tears that fell, "I love you, Tyler."

"Nora…" He said her name softly and tenderly.

She remained silent, knowing he needed to be comforted. No words were shared between the pair. Their gestures made up for what their mouths lacked. Right now, this simple act was the only thing keeping him from insanity. And that was something he surely could not handle.

* * *

Things seemed less ominous in the clear light of day.

The bathroom door was closed and no sounds could be heard from within despite the passage of time she stood beside it in a nervous quandary. Nora could resist no longer and rapped her knuckled lightly against the wood, "Tyler? Are you awake?" She and Tyler had spent their night crying until they couldn't produce a single tear. The sudden information was too much for her to handle, so she cleaned up Tyler the best she could and slowly cleaned up the broken shards of the mirror. She had been so exhausted that she threw on some clothes and had fallen asleep with Tyler on the floor. She'd gotten up early in the morning, her joints aching from sleeping on the hard floor and walked around her apartment deep in thought.

Tyler's brown orbs revealed themselves to the sunlight. Slowly absorbing the fact that he had fallen asleep on the bathroom floor. But for some reason, he was utterly content to be there. Hard, cold floor bit into his naked torso as he continued to lay on the tiles, ignoring his girlfriend's frantic calling. He needed, no demanded a few precious minutes of solitude. There was no way to block out the images of the family he once had. He wanted to forget, forget it all.

"Dammit, Tyler!" The door rattled, then Nora banged on it, "Will you say something? At least to know you haven't killed yourself." The handle jangled again, "Fine! Dead or not, I'm coming in." Tyler rolled his eyes heavenward as he heaved himself into a sitting position, an arm draped over his bent knee.

A few seconds later, Tyler heard the door that led to Nora's walk-in closet open. Bare feet swished across the linoleum, stopping next to him. A thin sheen of sweat coated his body and the tip of his tongue darted out to swipe at the salty substance on his upper lip. She slid to the floor beside him, wrapping her arms around her legs, "Talk to me."

As irritated as he was, a half smile of amusement still lifted his right cheek. He only looked at her out of the side of one eye, "About what, Nora? I'm fine." He said nonchalantly, folding his hands behind his head.

Nora uncoiled and looked at him incredulously, "How the hell can you say that?"

"Easy. They weren't my real family." He remarked coolly, not giving her the courtesy of meeting her gaze.

She moved in front of him with such fluid grace that he strained not to look at the dark-haired beauty. "Your lying and you know it! You can't say that because they took you in and treated you as their own!" Nora shook his shoulders when he still refused to look at her. "Your being a selfish bastard!"

Tyler's hands came around her slender frame and pulled her into the v of his thighs. Tightly, he clutched her to him, reassuring himself that she wasn't a figment of his imagination, "I'm sorry. It's just…not fair."

His heart so strong, so steady, thudding through his thick chest wall against her ear. His body was warm with life, fragrant with the potent scent of man, encompassed her. "You shouldn't have to do this alone," Nora whispered, her fingers lightly tracing his bare chest, "I'm here to help you through this."

She felt Tyler's indecision, felt the ripple in his muscles as he considered whether to let her in or not. Anticipation coiled nervous energy within her, producing a natural high. She had to do all that she could to help him. Failure was not a option. He hesitated a moment longer and glanced down at her, his gaze softening. He needed her as much as she needed him. "I need you, Nora."

Nora closed her eyes and savored the erotic sound of his voice, "I know." She felt him brush her lips with his own. She felt her chest rise and press into his. The kiss was weakening. Basic, but powerful…like Tyler.

He drew back, watching hypnotically as she stared into his eyes. "You're beautiful." He quickly ducked his head and captured her in a long, simple, but passionate kiss. He drew her closer, if possible, with unabashed need and desired her delicate touch.

* * *

Nora nestled her head on his shoulder, the fit as natural as if they've been sleeping together for years. They'd finally taken that giant step that was so clichéd , yet so common in teenage relationships. She felt a little dazed, not a lot dazed. Yet, she was completely relaxed, even being a little sore. But most of all, she felt as if they fit together in a way that was terrifying because it was so perfect.

"Tyler." A wave of cool air from the open window washed over their naked bodies as they lay on the tiled floor of the bathroom. Their essence danced in the wind, their scents mingled with each other. She pressed a tender kiss to his bandaged hand and awaited for his reply.

He closed his arms about her body and squeezed affectionately, "I know, I have to see Camille."

* * *

Well fellow reviewers. I know it's be so long and I apologize for my long absent. My last year of high school and all my teachers are dicks. So I have to work extra hard. However, I managed to update this story, which I had trouble with but manage to finish it. I don't really like this chapter but I hope you guys enjoy it. If not I retire from Fanfiction. Just kidding. Well I have to get back to the studies. Be kind and review!

Later,

Dee.


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